First off, the subset should be called 'International Flatulence'. Jeez....great design concept guys.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why they decided to go with a fireball coming out of Esa's backside. That, and the photo they used just creates the perfect storm. The angles and placements....not to mention, Esa's left hand looks as if he's trying to 'fan the flames'. Ouch.

It's a card that's always made me laugh. Not something you want a card like this to do.

Short but sweet....Esa, you and your 'fiery demeanor' can go straight...

PPPPPFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!

TO THE BIKE SPOKES!!!!!!!

note: yes, there are still days where I feel like I'm nine! :) THIS ONE'S FOR YOU KYLE!!!!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Sorry for the lack of posts over the past week. I've taken on a second editing project that has eaten up my past couple of weekends as well as some weeknights.

Hopefully, I can have it finished up soon and get it off my plate (which is slowly being cleared off....nice).

Anyways, I recently picked up a couple of items from an online store called Center Ice Collectibles. Boy, I wish I had heard of them before. Finding any sort of Linden cards on my wantlist not released in the past couple of years are tough, and yet I was able to snag three. And for a great price! (They also shipped super fast as well).

2005/06 Panini #363

This was the one item I was most thrilled to acquire. Yup, it's a simple Panini sticker from 5 years ago. Nothing to write home about eh? Well, when it's been staring at you from your wantlist for that long, it's a gem to land it.

I haven't come across this item in the 5 years I've been looking for it. So, just for good measure....I picked up 3 of them. Why not. They were going for a good price.

This sticker is yet another example of how a 'cheap' base card can have the same impact as a rare parallel. I was just as excited to get this package in the mail as some of the more high end cards I've received recently.

And it will have an equally important seat in the table that is my Linden collection.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

I am a player collector. I am also a 'completest'. Or so I thought? It's something that has been weighing on me for past few weeks.

When I first started collecting Trevor Linden cards, I wanted to track down one of EVERYTHING he had. Regular issues releases, oddball items, yearbooks, programs. Heck, I was even keeping newspaper articles.

After a while, it felt like a little bit of overkill for my liking so I stuck mainly with cards (and stickers). I would pick up the odd item here or there that wasn't on my wantlist, but I passed by a great number more.

Lately though, I have seen a lot more 'unofficial' items that has me on the fence as to whether or not I should go after them. Things like Pacific 'proofs' that were never released, or uncut panels or sheets. While I'd like to add them to the collection if the price was right...I don't put them on my wantlist. Mainly because they are not really trackable in terms of what's out there (or how many).

Today I received in the mail a cool item - it's a Linden card from the 2007/08 'Hockey Card Game'. Again, not really an official release, but it's now scratched off my list. Am I happy to have it - you bet. Would I have been searching it out if I didn't know where to get one? I don't know.

It's a dilemma I've been pondering for a while.

One thing I do is look at the other Linden collectors' lists of card they have or are going after. Part of me has the mindset that if it's good enough for them....then it's good enough for me.

Another aspect - now that Linden is in full retirement mode - there are more cards of his released in products than I've seen in a while....and the prices for some are ballooning. Do I keep going after his stuff? Where do I draw the line? I've seen some collectors (one, a Sakic guy) not include any cards after his retirement year. Those are his parameters and I respect that.

I've been thinking of doing the same thing, but would I feel comfortable doing so? I don't know if I would.

Casting the net for the cards you are looking to catch can be super simple at times - or extremely difficult. Right now, I'm in a bit of a difficult mode. I think it's because of the abundance of product out there currently. It might be easier if there were only a couple cards here and there.

Nonetheless, it's not something where I'm going to make a quick knee-jerk reaction. I've been fine with the parameters up until now, so I'm going to see if I can ride it out to the off-season. We'll see what comes in September.

What kind of parameters do you set for your collection or project? Do you stick to them? Are you happy with them?

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Today's mailday was a real special one. A card arrived in the mailbox that represents a mindset that I've tried to keep in the forefront of my hobby ventures.

In the past I've been the privileged recipient of some fantastic gifts from people as a token of thanks for something I have done or said. I deeply appreciate these gifts and they are a very special part of my overall collection.

This latest card came to me from Tricia over at Cards On Ice and her contest a little while back. The stipulations of the contest were pretty simple. Post a comment explaining a random act of kindness you have done since the contest started.

I couldn't help but enter. I thought it was a great idea to motivate people into doing something with the intention of having nothing reciprocated. To do something 'just because'....I love it!

So I posted a comment and after a few days, there was a random draw from the responded to determine a winner. I was shocked to see my name at the top of the list when I checked the results.

Wow! This is one sweet card. On the back it states that the Lemieux jersey is from a game-used Penguins jersey and the Seguin is from the 2009 Subway Super Series and has a thick seam right in the middle. A great looking card.

Oh, and to boot, this card is 1 of 50 (silver version). Nice.

I haven't decided what I'll do with the card yet. I don't think I'll trade it anytime soon. I might display it at work next to my Marty Brodeur auto puck or put it with my equally cool custom team sheet. We'll see.

Thanks again for the great contest and putting the focus (once again) on keeping the hobby fun.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

For those of you who frequent my blog, you've probably seen the pinnacle card in my Trevor Linden collection.

2010/11 In The GameUltimate Memorabilia 10th EditionUltimate Emblem

I picked this up late last year and it is without a doubt the number one card in my collection. As such, I dubbed it the Trevor Linden Card Of The Year for 2010.

Well, 2011 has arrived and so it's time to start selecting those cards that might make the grade.

The most recent 1/1 I snagged would definitely land top marks. Or how about the fight strap /3. A great addition to my collection.

But I think they (along with whatever else might come out this year) might be trumped by this gem.

Meet "Emblem's Little Brother".....Tag!

2010/11 In The GameUltimate Memorabilia 10th EditionUltimate Tag

I couldn't wait to tear open the envelope and gaze at my newest addition. Like the emblem card, it just looks really cool in person.

I received an e-mail from the guy who pulled it and asked if I would be interested. He knew I bought the emblem card (and how much I paid for it) and let me know the price tag.

The asking price was more than I was willing to bite on, but I did send a counter-offer which after a slight modification we agreed to.

A few days later and the notice was in my mailbox that the card had arrived.

Of the 7 Linden cards this edition of In The Game Ultimate, 6 have now found a home. With me owning two 1/1's, one /3 and a stick /24 and another Linden collector housing two other 1/1's, all that remains is the Ultimate Stick Rack 1/1. I haven't seen that one surface yet.

Good thing too. I need a break from all the Linden madness lately. Just a small one.

Today, I added another 1/1 card to my Trevor Linden collection. It's the third time this season that I've been able to land one. I'm still in awe over the amount of low numbered cards he has in the various product releases so far.

The price tag on my Linden cards in the 10/11 campaign has by far been the most inflated of any other year. That said, this pickup came to me for a bargain - maybe even a steal.

2010/11 Panini LimitedLegend Platinum Spotlight #127 1/1

This one finishes the Limited 'Legend' parallels. It's the first time that has ever happened. I am the only one on the face of this earth who has every parallel of this card. I think that's kind of cool.

I saw this card pop up on ebay one night when I just happened to do a search at the right time. The card had been up for all of a couple minutes. The 'Buy It Now' price was half of what I expected the card to be.

I couldn't hit the buy button fast enough. I was thrilled to land this card.

While I'm getting sick of this pose from Linden (this photo's been used on two different product releases by Panini), I don't think I'll ever get sick of seeing the '1/1' on the back.

Here's his 'twin' 1/1. They now sit side by side in my Linden case.

And while this card would rank at the top of the list most years, I think this the 'Trevor Linden Card Of The Year' for 2011 might be the one I present to you next.

That's pretty neat. But of course, I'm skeptical. I tell him that I'm not really a collector of the memorabilia stuff, but you never know. I need some info.

He tells me that this jacket was picked up at a Medicine Hat garage sale from someone named Lane (that by the way is the name of Trevor's dad). The guy has had it for years and was looking to sell it.

He knew I was a Linden collector and thought it'd be something I would be interested in.

Well, you know....I'm not really a memorabilia collector. :) I still needed some more information.

It looks cool. It looks to be from that time period (as the logo patches and rips would suggest).

But I'm still skeptical. I need some solid proof.

Hey now. This has got my attention all of the sudden (not that I was showing it on the outside).

I knew that before Trevor was in the NHL, he wore #9 in honor of his idol Lanny McDonald (who was also a Medicine Hat Tiger legend).

I'm starting to think that this might just be the real deal. But since I'm not a memorabilia collector, I'm not overly interested in this kind of stuff unless it happens to fall into my lap for the right price.

Honestly, as cool of a piece as this was, I could live with not having it.

Don't get me wrong though.....I wanted it.

I ask how much he wants.

Eighty bucks.

Hmmmm. Nope, not gonna do $80. Again, I'm not a memorabilia collector. :) If it was the right price, I'd consider it.

So he asks me how much I'd pay for it.

I say I'd probably do $20 for it.

He grabs his phone, calls his buddy and tells him the offer. A couple seconds later, he says - You got yourself a deal!

Cool!

Is it authentic? I don't know. Honestly, I don't care. It's staying in my collection forever. I doubt you could find one anywhere that looks this authentic. And for twenty bucks - it's worth the story at very least.

And if it is real....then maybe I should become a memorabilia collector. :)

Saturday, February 12, 2011

It was local card show day today and I'll just say I'm very happy I went. A number of great deals, great finds and a couple of extra cool items left with me this afternoon.

I'll first show off a couple of awesome cards for my 1 vs. 100 project. It's been a little slow with cards for this project lately...partially because I just haven't been aggressively searching, but also because this project is getting down to the nitty gritty.

That makes today's score all the better.

2008/09 The CupHonorable Numbers#HN-PM Peter Mueller /88

I really like this card because it is a unique entry into the project. The more diverse I can make this collection, the better. The one patch is boring, but the second patch more than makes up for it. And to see it hard signed makes it even a greater snag.

It's a really great design and definitely makes you take notice when sifting through the cards in this project so far.

I've seen this card many times staring me in the face, but the price tag was more than I was willing to go for. But when the card is priced at about 60% off...I'll bite.

Now, this second card was one I never thought I'd find.

Searching for low numbered cards got me thinking that it might get a little pricey. You know, cards numbered /2, /3, /4 - these cards won't have scrub players on them. I mean, who would put no-names on a card and number it out of 2?

2010/11 SP Game UsedFamous Faceoffs#N1709 Colton Orr/Matt Carkner /2

Seriously? I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this card. It was as if this card was made for my project.

It's such a cool looking card.....with two guys that I can't even believe have memorabilia cards, let alone one /2. I look at it and I still shake my head. I wonder if they made anything numbered out of 3?

What's even better is that the card was originally priced at $80 - which I would probably have jumped at. Thing is, it was on for half price.

A great autograph from a 50's/60's era player. Why is it that a card so simple in design is so rarely produced?

This is the perfect set - plain and simple.

OK....last one.

2006/07 Parkhurst#68 Al MacInnisAutograph Parallel

This is what really sells me on this set. It's transcends the different eras of hockey, it includes a very eclectic mix of players and once again - the signatures are on the card. No stickers here.

Two of these cards completes my 'One Sheet, One Set' for the Parkhurst auto parallels (with the Maniago going into a new project - All-Time Greatest Cards). The 'One Sheet, One Set'....you guessed it...it'll get the first (and maybe only 5 out of 5 rating).

Holy cow! It's the return of Scribbles & Scribes! Why you might ask? Well, I tripped on a nice looking signature from a prospect looking to make waves in the NHL.

SCRIBBLENino Niederreiter

But first, we have to take a look at a not-so-nice autograph. And this one disappoints on multiple levels. First (and foremost) it's lame. A weak attempt at spelling his name. Second, I had high hopes for a sweet looking sig from this guy. He has a cool name and some cool moves, so it would only make sense that he has a cool auto. Two out of three.....well, it's still bad.

I can make out the 'N' in Nino, and I'm assuming his number is 22. But that's about it. Once again, it's just 'up down up down up down up'. Did I mention that's lame.

SCRIBETomas Jurco

I have no idea who this kid is, I've never heard of him, I have no idea if he's been drafted or will be, but he has one nice looking autograph.

A throwback to the legends of penmanship, this sig has the class and style of some of the great names to sign their name.

Hold it up against the Beliveau's and the Perreault's. The Mahovlich's and the Richard's. Seriously, this auto fits right in.

Great job Tomas. Now all you need to remember is don't let the bazillion autograph requests once you reach the pros taint that sweet sig.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

This card finally landed into my hands 15 years after its release, 10 years after I actually knew it existed and a year after I actually saw a copy of it for the first time.

I love how some of the cards in my Linden collection have a good story connected to it.

1995/96 Topps Stadium ClubMaster Photo

I have very little information regarding this item, other than it has Trevor Linden on the front and it was on my checklist.

It's larger than a normal card and doesn't have any stats on the back. I've heard that it is a test issue, but I don't know what that consists of. 'Test' sounds rare, and as I found out - it's not so rare.

The back of the card has the look of the old printing plate stickers you would see on cards. Just the facts.

As you can see, it's a unique size, which leaves it a little less protected compared to my other cards. They are housed in top loaders or one-touch holders. This Master Photo card is in a graded team bag....and that's about it.

Now, on to the story.

This card wasn't on my radar when I first started collecting Linden. These oddball-type cards just didn't appear on a lot of master checklists. That was until I found a very - VERY thorough checklist compiled by a fellow Linden collector.

I saw this Master Photo and so it sat. I had never seen one of these cards and for a while even questioned if it existed.

Just over a year ago though, I received an e-mail from this Linden collector telling me of an auction on ebay. It was for not one, not two, not a handful and not a few of these Master Photo cards......it was for 1040 Trevor Linden Topps Stadium Club Master Photo cards.

Yeah, I don't need that many extras. And for five grand, it's just a little out of my league.

The guy who tipped me off on the auction told me he had purchased a couple off of him and that he'd fire one off to me when he got them. Sadly, they never arrived.

To be honest, that made me a tad skeptical about the person selling them. I asked him anyways how much it would cost for a couple of them. He gave me the price....and I waited. And waited.

For over a year.

Until this past month when I finally bucked up and bought a few. I felt that with all these cards just sitting right there and with that spot on my master list not yet crossed off, it was time to go for it.

I bought three of them and within a month they arrived.

So what's the first thing I did with them? I fired off the two extras to the Linden collector who ended up not getting his. Hopefully he got them.....I haven't heard yet. :) I told him to keep one and pass one on to another Linden collector that lives near him.

It made me feel good to do that. My fellow Linden collectors have been very kind to me over the years and this was just a small way that I felt I could repay them.

And that's the end of my story.

Actually, there's a small bit of postscript which I'll tell you about soon. Here's a little hint though (and I've always said it). Do good things and good things happen.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

This set was an eye-catcher for me right off the hop for a couple reasons. First - no Linden card in the set, so it's a design I wasn't too familiar with.

The second - I'll let the picture do the talking.

2009/10 Upper Deck Trilogy

Not your traditional off-white card border now is it. Trilogy is a mid-range release that consists of a base set of only 100 cards and some short print inserts and rookies to round the total set out at 170.

A more bold design some would say than other products, the first impression these cards had on me were striking.

The front of the card begins and ends with a strong template. A gold background really catches your eye - and no, it's not some special parallel. These cards are from the regular base set.

The curved design of the white bands give a great negative space to the gold positive. The most outside band of grey draws your eye to the bottom left where the player's jersey number is placed. Again, in gold.

The blue gradient band more in the foreground is nicely fit for the player's name and position. I like the font style; the boldness adds to the strong card design.

The final band on the left is the textured team color band that acts as a highlight for the Trilogy logo. A bit of a miss here for two reasons. First, it's team color based (which is good) but not every card's colors show very well. On top of that, the Trilogy text seems somewhat off-center to the design. But if you look at the text in relation to the card itself, it's centered properly. It's a tad confusing.

A silver foil Upper Deck logo in the top left is nice, but the same silver foil team logo at the bottom is a little less clean. Looking at it from certain angles, it does the job, but at other angles it just looks like a blob of silver.

A very subtle halftone (lines) effect in the background has me trying to figure out the rhyme and reason for it. It appears in some areas, but not others. It also isn't consistent from card to card. This leads me to believe that it's based on what is a very - VERY faint background photo.

Speaking of the photo, the player photos are decent choices. Not all of them are simple left or right hand turns. Some have a feeling of movement to them, but it's hard when your stuck with the parameters of a full body shot.

Notice anything about all nine cards shown? It appears that you need to be photographed with your mouth open in order to make the cut for this set.

The faux-dropshadow is a little hokey, but I can live with it. Same can be said of the glowing white orb immediately behind each of the player's heads. Nice.

The back of the card carries the design elements from the front nicely. In fact, it's one of the better combinations I've seen.

Gold is more of a foreground color with an odd blue acting as the background color. The halftone (lines) pattern is back, but is now consistent from card to card. Same too are the curved bands. A nice gradient mix of the three curves gives a good flow to the card back.

I like how the player name is in the tab above the stats section. The team color is a little easier to see, but not by much with some cards. I also like the non-foil team logo. Not too overpowering, but still predominant.

The card number uses the same font style as the player name and I like the choice. Again, bold, but not lame.

The top right is a well-framed player head shot. And a different photo is used for these. Bonus points to the designers. Thank you.

A good tidbit about the player sits just below the position and jersey number info giving a tidy design to the top half of the card back.

The stats at the bottom are pretty nice. easy to read with the white glow-type background help. Sadly, only five years of stats regardless of how long you've played. It should be a lot easier to get this aspect of card designing down. It's either too much extra space, or running out of it.

The product name - which is a given these days - acts as a header for the parade of logos. Surprisingly, these logos don't catch my eye at all. I think it has to do with the well designed background. I'm not drawn to it at all.

Overall, these cards look pretty nice and when flipping through a box of singles should be super easy to track down. An interesting player selection as well. Not just your superstars. I like that.

If you happen to find some, grab 'em. Especially if they're cheap. Some of the star players are booking at a few bucks a piece. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if you could land some of them for pennies....after all, they're base cards.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Sorry if I made you do a double take. Yes, I'm posting an 'action' shot of The Gumper.

Actually, it's not so much the dazzling goaltending of Worsley that prompted me to post this, it's the 5 or 6 small details within the photo that made me bite.

1972/73 O-Pee-Chee#189 In Action Gump Worsley

It's kind of nice to see some cards from the 70's with a little context to them. I wish more cards from that era had some sort of game action (as opposed to the dreaded blue wall shots). While it's not chalked full of high speed NHL action, it's still got some cool features.

This photo in particular gives you a glimpse as to the game the way it was. Let's take a closer look.

First of all, Gump. Maskless (one of the last to remain maskless...he only donned the protective piece of equipment for the final few games of his career) with his hair so nicely combed. I don't think my hair stays that nice - and I'm not stopping vulcanized rubber on sheets of pro hockey ice. Side note: SWEET SIDEBURNS - Those are some nice chops!

Gumper's equipment. The vintage brown - and I love the way you can see some of the padding on the back side of the pads. The blocker is awesome. I love those ol' round circles. Never did know what they were for though. And that glove looks to be about three sizes smaller than the mitts nowadays.

And how about that cameo by Paul Henderson? Did you guess it was him in the Leafs uniform? That helmet looks like it completely fall apart on impact. And the football-like face guard just reek of the 70's. Love the uniform as well.

Speaking of uniforms, how about that other player in the shot. Me thinks it's long-time Star Tom Reid. Regardless, it's a sweet uniform. That's a green you just don't see nowadays. Love it. No player nameplates on the back, just simple stripes and numbers.

Before I forget - tubeskates. I still think they're cool and would love to own a pair if I knew they wouldn't snap my ankles from the lack of support.

Want more - ok. Check out the boards in the background. Yes, they're white. These guys played in an era where corporate advertising was in its infancy (if even born at all). And finally, the lighting. Huge shadows coming from the players on the ice Hot spots and dead spaces. Today, the players have pristine surfaces with immaculate lighting. Not so back then.

So you see, while it may not be the most exciting action on the card, it's got a ton of character and reason to be included in my Cardboard Photography project.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

It's tough when they're not wearing their masks eh? Well, in this instance it might not have helped as the jersey he's wearing don't carry the colors he's best known for.

Today, I received a pair of autographed cards in the mail. Or should I say goalie cards. Or maybe I should go with the theme of GoalieGraphs cards. There are so many ways I can justify putting these into my collection that it just became a no-brainer that I trade for them.

Especially when I saw the sig in the first card.

2007/08 In The GameBetween The Pipes GoalieGraphs#A-RB Richard Brodeur

That's right....'King' Richard. He's just a young pup in the photo (taken from his days with the Quebec Nordiques of the WHA). I'd rather have had a mask photo though - have I ever mentioned that I really like the vintage masks?

What really drew me in was the blue sharpie autograph. Blue's a common color, but not when it comes to product autographs (me thinks) as this one really stuck out. It's a pretty sweet sig too, although I've seen some where he throws his 'King' moniker in there - making for an even more desirable card. I guess at the point in his career when the photo was taken, he was just a mere prince.

I snagged a second card as well - one with a goalie mask.

2007/08 In The GameBetween The Pipes GoalieGraphs#A-PB Peter Budaj

Or as his signature says....Tedar Butr. I think I put some on my toast this morning.

Seriously though. Budaj's got a pretty cool mask - very wintery. Anytime I see a Peter Budaj mask, I can't help but think 'Heidely-ho, neighbor'. Why?

His nickname is 'Flanders' and has Homer Simpson's neighbor painted on the back of every mask. He got that nickname as he's a proud Christian. Here's a look at the mask he's wearing this year.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Well, I gotta say, 2011 has been a pretty good year so far when it comes to my Trevor Linden collection.

Some new releases, a couple cards /10, a nice fight strap /3 and a 1/1 really makes the month look good.

That said, I think the following months will be just as exciting. So let's start it off with a card that's been on the wantlist for almost 10 years.

2002/03 Be A Player Parkhurst#183 Chicago Sportsfest SHOW /10

I'm a completest. When it comes to my Linden collection, I want one of everything. Show cards included.

Other collectors might balk at show cards saying they're nothing more than a fake parallel or a non-pack inserted card. While that may be true, I see it as another unique collectible with Linden's mug on it.

These show cards from the early 2000's are next to impossible to come by these days. I wish I was more aware of them back in the day as it would have helped out immensely. They can still fetch decent coin (in comparison to other player show cards).

There were a lot of variants to the show cards as well. The Toronto show (both spring and fall), the Chicago show, the All-Star game and the National just to name a few.

I kind of like finding show cards. For some reason I feel like they're even more rare than they indicate. I feel like a good chunk of them are just sitting in some ex-dealer's monster boxes never to see the light of day again. Making mine all the more valuable. :)

Now if I can just track down some others on the list.

As for the card itself, this release came just as Trevor found his way back to Vancouver. After forgettable stints in New York, Montreal and Washington, Trevor's return to the Canucks really revitalized my Linden collecting to say the least.

It's the same type of feeling I had a few months ago when I saw that he was being inserted into a number of products this year.